Newcastle Home to Most Rogue Tradesmen

Newcastle-upon-Tyne is home to more rogue tradesmen than
anywhere else in the country, according to new research.

Workmen in the north east city
are more likely to botch their work than anywhere else in the country, with 54 per cent of Geordie customers left with a badly finished
job.

Eighty-six per cent of
Newcastle residents claimed they have been left waiting by a tradesman who turned up
late, while another 57 per cent said one failed to arrive at all.

And more than three quarters
have also been left to clear up the mess left behind by a workman.

Second place in the poll, of
3,000 people who have had to call in a tradesman, went to Exeter, where 46 per cent of
people said their contractors did not do the job properly.

Southampton came third in the
poll with more than 45 per cent of the customers unhappy, followed by Liverpool and London.

Roman Russocki, Chief Executive of TrustMark, the Government
backed, not for profit quality mark for tradesmen, which carried out the poll, said: "For many, it is expensive to get tradesmen in to do work in your
home, so it is really important that the job is done well.

"But unfortunately, not all
tradesmen work to the same high standards, with those in Newcastle seemingly worse
than most on average.

"Of course it only takes a few
rogues to give everyone a bad name but one way of preventing any disappointment is to do your research before hiring someone to do a job in your
home," he said.

Sheffield is home to the most honest and trustworthy workmen, with
two thirds of residents saying they have never had to fix a botched job left behind by a rogue trader.

One in five people from the
South Yorkshire city were completely satisfied with the finished job and rather than having to wait in, 45 per cent
said the worker actually turned up early.

And 84 per cent would happily
recommend their tradesman to friends or family.

Workmen in Belfast came second, with 63 per cent saying they were completely happy with their work, followed by Bristol, Leeds and Cambridge traders.

Researchers found that 43 per
cent of Brits have hired a tradesman to do a job in their home, and been left with a botched jobs they have had to spend an average of £364.90 to put
right.

And builders were named as the
workmen most likely to leave behind a bad job, followed by plumbers, roofers, decorators and plasterers.

But it is not just botched
jobs people have to put up with as 82 per cent have had a tradesman turn up late for a job, while 59 per cent have had someone fail to turn up at
all.

One in 10 even said a workman
had failed to come back after taking a lunch break.

41 per cent of people have had
a tradesman turn up early.

Roman Russocki added: "Asking friends and neighbours, or
indeed getting references from previous customers can help you to get an idea of the work a particular workman has done in the past and means you can
hopefully rely on him to do the same in your home."